BoSoxYacht

sometimes that is what fits(that's what I need, very long legs/short torso). If the TT is any longer than 59cm(+ a 10cm stem) I'm unable to reach the hoods, but my leg length requires at least a 65cm seat tube.

What would you suggest the builder(Doug "Curtlo" Curtiss) do?

ruppster

And the guy rides a 26" wheeled XC bike. He is just begging to be on a 29er.

Talewinds

I went back to your original post/picture and took a look and I thought WHY so much seatpost on an already large frame, but then realized you have a (somewhat) unique set of dimensions in your height/inseam ratio. Your PF frame looks proportional, but that Storck (A bike and designer which I have a huge amount of admiration for) just looks ridiculously out of sorts.

Unfortunately, from a design standpoint, I hate to say it but it appears more variety in components would help, but I'm definitely NOT a fan of that as I'm always a proponent of using fewer numbers of items to fit a wider range of uses. However, in this case it could start with utilizing 650c wheels again for smaller bikes, and maybe larger than 700c wheels for the largest frame sizes, longer forks (and not just the steerer tubes), I don't know, just thinking out loud...

Campag4life

The head tube length between your two bikes is about the same. Your Flyte is killing your neck because you have a negative rise stem on it. Flip the stem or better yet but a 10-17 deg riser stem on it and your neck issues will be gone. Also you have your bars rotated down on your Flyte. Aside from slight difference in top tube there is no reason why you can't make both bikes fit the same. You don't need another frame.
No need to move on frame size if you can tune your existing frame.

garysol1 

First thing I would do is tilt the bars up a few degrees so the drops are at least horizontal to the ground if not a couple of degree down. I bet that would make a HUGE difference.

cminter

60cm Habanero Team with a 120 Specialized stem currently angled down more than in photo.
I'm 6'3" inseam 35".

Talewinds

Please oh please tell me that bar clamp came loose and THAT'S NOT your standard riding position!

sfcrossrider

I'm 6'1" so don't fall into the "tall" category, but I tend to have a lot of post showing because of my riding style. I'm also very thin (165) so I look taller.

BoSoxYacht

I know my Curtlo is going to look a little odd in most people's eyes, but what looks worse, a normal sized frame with a long post + riser stem(with loads of spacers) or a tall frame with a level TT, and a -17 stem with 15mm of spacers?I think the tall, proper-fitting frameset will look a lot better.

I wish a 58cm bike would fit me, but no chance. I'd love to own a bike like your Pinarello, it looks like a bike should.


BTW, the Storck was a dream to ride. .

badfishgood

Sorry, but this has to be the ugliest bike picture thread ever.

Carry on.

EDIT: Though I have to say that orange Habanero is seksi.

Second Mouse

Don't forget to punch the clock, shorty.

Good point, though.

john7531

I'm 6'2 and I ride a 60cm. It's just a Trek but I still like it

zoomtt

6'2" 32 inseam
58 CM Felt F4 (I am a size 61 on my previous specialized bike)

Pasqually

I have others, but the colnago is 64cm and the pinarello is 61cm. I am 195cm tall.

hard to tell in the photo, but the colnago has about 15cm saddle to bar drop and a 14cm stem (both bikes have 14cm stems & 180mm cranks).

JeffS

I agree... buying a custom that needs a huge riser stem or a big stack'o spacers on it is ridiculous.

Campag4life

Huh? My bike isn't shown.

Campag4life

You may think it looks riduculous but almost a necessity for a tall rider with short torso who is all legs who doesn't want to pay for a custom frame. My personal view is its almost a jump ball aesthetically. Long head tubes aren't exactly elegant. Most bikes look best around 55-57 or so with a 150mm head tube which doesn't work for a 36 inch inseam.

BoSoxYacht

To me, a 58-61cm frame looks normal, and a 55cm frame looks like it's made for a dwarf.

While a long head tube may not look elegant, at least it's not going to be dangerous or flexy(like it would be with a stack of spacers)..

BoSoxYacht

If it fits you well, there's nothing wrong with that bike.

chinotex

I love my Trek 1500! I've got a 56cm... whenever I see bigger versions of the same model, I think "that's my bike, but it don't look right..."

Campag4life

The issue of a stack of spacers being dangerous or flexy is highly contested. Truth is a long stem is more problematic then a stack of spacers. The reason is stress concentration and hinge point. Ask Hincapie. Having a steerer cut right to the top of a head tube is more about lowering handlebars and nth degree stiffness than a safety issue. There is less of a stress riser right at the vertex between top of steerer and base of stem with a stack of spacers...the bending point is over a wider locus versus a particular point. If you stay in the 40-50mm range for spacer stack even with a CF steerer you are fine as most manufacturers agree. As to flex, I run a fair amount of spacers on my Look frame and can't flex the steerer when sprinting. Is it better for a world class sprinter to have the stem on top of the head tube?... I would say yes because of the wattage they produce. If you aren't Tom Boonen and don't have Specialized make you a custom frame, spacers are fine for even amateur racers.

The thing about BF that is almost universal are the sweeping stereotypes. A stack of spacers being dangerous or flexy is only one misconception. The most notable misconception that comes up all the time here is a short stem will make a bicycle handling more nervous. Honorable mention? Bicycles should be sized by top tube. Generalization is convenient for those that don't see the whole picture.

Most that don't race competitively don't like a 6 inch bar drop. If that is the case, then the beautiful Colnago below gets discarded for a tall rider or a longer fork steerer and spacers and/or a riser stem is required to get the bars up within a couple inches of the saddle.

tekhna

Thanks for the advice-The horrible position its in in that picture is just me playing with it. Here's my thoughts on a larger frame-As you can see it's got a huge stack of spacer already, it'd be nice to lose some. The stem on there is a 130, and it kills my handling. I first put the 130 on, and I thought I was riding a different bike. I've since flipped the stem and been playing with all sorts of bar positions, and I've got it sort of comfortable. But between the length of the stem, and the jarring ride that frame seems to provide (or else it's the crap roads out here, probably a bit of both) I may still be looking.
Thanks again though for the help!

Campag4life

Honestly, I think your latter comment is the most telling. Many pros ride with a 140mm stem so a 130mm stem shouldn't kill the handling. Your stack of spacers isn't excessive on your Flyte. You can set the two bikes you show the same. You may not like the Flyte because of the jarring ride. I have to say, I don't like bikes with jarring rides either. Fit shouldn't be that big a deal though.
Cheers.

mascher

Well here's a question wrt this discussion then: I'm considering a comparitively inexpensive custom frame because I'm just outside of standard sizes and fitting, and the bike that's most comfortable for me is one with a 61cm tt, 50-60mm of spacers, a flipped up 130mm stem and hands comfy in the ends of the bullhorns.

My goal in this is to be able to have a full-fledged road bike that a) fits me but also b) doesn't force me to simply max out every dimension to sort of have a rideable bike, but be able to have the normal adjustability that normal sized people have (raising/lowering/flipping stems, changing stem length, changing between bars with different reach and drop) for when I get fitter or to accomodate different riding styles.

Part of this is the assumption that a really long high stem is not ideal for handling or comfort and is possibly not the safest when you're big - I'm far enough back over the rear wheel that with a big saddle-bar drop, I can still very easily pop up the front wheel in bumpy or quickly rolling terrain, and I can flex my bars and stem easily (though not my steer tube, that I've noticed, which is part of an all steel fork).

Is this moot in terms of handling and safety? If I had say 400mm of post and 100mm of spacers on a fork with a 150 stem on smaller frame, is that essentially as safe and secure as if I had an appropriate sized frame and "normal" component setup?

JeffS

I'm not sure that you read my post correctly - which was specifically directed at people who DO want to pay for a custom frame.

I can't really relate. My ideal bike fits me correctly, and if that means my correctly sized bike is inelegant as my size 14 shoe... well, I couldn't care less.

I'm not 100% sure that mid-sized bikes REALLY look better. I think it's just what we see the most of and has become the standard in our minds.